News

KIT/IFG

Kim, J.; Walden, S.L.; Carroll, J.A.; Unterreiner; A.-N.; Barner-Kowollik,C.

J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2026, in press

Photopolymerization efficiency is often poorly predicted by photoinitiator absorption alone. Using the well-known radical photoinitiator Ivocerin, we demonstrate that wavelength-dependent radical generation and wavelength dependent radical lifetime directly govern polymerization performance. We hypothesize that the ratio of triplet and singlet population is wavelength dependent and consequently leads to the different radical lifetimes observed for different excitation wavelengths.

Our researchers have developed a new class of visible-light-responsive fluorophores, called hemipiperazine-based IndHPIs and PyrHPIs, that overcome common limitations of small-molecule photoswitches. These compounds show large Stokes shifts, excellent thermal stability, high fatigue resistance, and reversible fluorescence switching under red light. Some are readily taken up by living cells, where glutathione helps regenerate the brighter isomer, making them promising tools for super-resolution imaging and advanced optical materials.

KIT/IFG

Congratulations to Dr. Martina Plank for receiving the European Future Faculty and Researchers Awards from the journal Polymer (Elsevier) at the 2026 Bordeaux Polymer Conference. These awards recognize exceptional young scientists under 40 who have made significant contributions to polymer science and engineering, while serving as senior postdoctoral researchers in non-permanent positions across Europe. Each awardee presented a featured talk at the conference, sharing their groundbreaking research with the international polymer community. Additionally, their work will be showcased through invited articles in a special issue of Polymer, highlighting their contributions to the field.

Mitarbeiterbild_Andre_Tschöpe

The planned project (DEMO-PER) aims to systematically evaluate the industrial application potential of a novel electrochemical particle electrode reactor. Through the innovative use of conductive particle electrodes, this reactor offers unique opportunities for three-phase reactions in which gaseous reactants, a liquid electrolyte and a solid electrode interact with one another. The aim of the outlined project is to investigate the scalability as well as the technological and economic competitiveness of this novel reactor concept.